For a better look at the jaguars at the Wildlife World Zoo, Aquarium & Safari Park in Arizona, a woman named Leanne crossed over the three-foot-tall barricade that separates zoo visitors from the fenced exhibit. This was, of course, a terrible idea. One female jaguar reached through the fence and took a swipe at Leanne, […]
Tag: zoos
POLL: Should the commercial trade in captive-bred tigers be banned?
The first thing that hit the inspectors was the smell. It was a sweltering midsummer day in Prague, and they had just opened an unplugged freezer filled with the rotting remains of tigers, lions and cougars. Pavla Rihova, the lead environmental inspector on the scene, said she had never seen anything like it. “I have […]
POLL: Should big cats be protected from the exotic pet trade?
Animal advocates are applauding members of Congress for reintroducing legislation that would protect both us and big cats by banning private ownership. It’s currently estimated that there are more than 10,000 big cats being kept as pets or in roadside zoos in the U.S., but no one knows exactly where they are or who owns […]
Lion Killed After Fatally Mauling Intern at North Carolina Wildlife Facility
As his enclosure was being cleaned by staff at a North Carolina wildlife facility on December 30, a lion named Matthai managed to escape from his locked holding pen. Matthai fatally mauled one of those workers, 22-year-old Alexandra Black. She was an animal husbandry intern who had only been on the job for 10 days. […]
POLL: Is it time to close our zoos?
In 2014, Marius, a perfectly healthy two-year-old giraffe, was killed and fed to the lions in Copenhagen Zoo. It caused an outcry at the time but, as a new Horizon documentary explains, it made perfect sense – and lifted the lid on something happening in zoos across the world, which they rarely admit to. Every […]
Victory! Buffalo Zoo is Closing its Elephant Exhibit
Animal advocates are celebrating another victory for captive elephants with news that the Buffalo Zoo in New York is finally closing its exhibit. The zoo announced this week that its two Asian elephants, 36-year-old Jothi and 35-year-old Supara, will be headed to the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans this fall, where they’ll be able to […]
How ethical is the elephant ‘sanctuary’ you’re visiting?
“Many parks advertise themselves as sanctuaries but they are not,” says Maria Mossman, founder of non-profit group Action for Elephants UK. “Never go to a park that advertises shows, unnatural behaviour, tricks or painting – and please, never ride an elephant.” Mossman, who has been involved in elephant activism since 2013, and also organises global […]
POLL: Should we continue to keep wildlife in captivity?
Just a few hours before the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans, Louisiana, opened its doors to the public on July 14, a three-year-old jaguar named Valerio — who had been described by the staff as a “big, lovable goofball” — managed to bite through the steel cables on the roof of the “Jaguar Jungle” exhibit. […]
